IT'S A HOT HATCH SHOOTOUT STARRING THE BMW M135, THE AMG A35, THE BMW M135 AND THE GOLF R.
It’s time for a hot hatch showdown! We’ve got CarWow’s Mat Watson in the latest incarnation of the much-loved Volkswagen Golf R, and he took it to the drag strip to put it against some of the car’s most closely-matched segment rivals, even if they’re not exact;y the same age. In this match-up, the Golf R is pitted against an onslaught of powerful Germans in the form of the BMW M135, the Audi S3, and the Mercedes-AMG A35. While the Golf R is the range-topper in the VW hatchback offerings, it’s not the case with the Audi and Mercedes-AMG offerings. For Audi, there’s the RS3 and for the AMG there’s the A45. It’s more of a cost thing in this case, like what you can get from rivals for similar money. I’m a lifelong VAG fan, VW being the top with Audi running a close second, and Porsche being the be-all and end-all just in case I manage to secure a lotto win. While I love me a Golf R, it’s a good thing the RS3 isn’t in the mix because that has an extra cylinder and more grunt than the Golf (along with a much higher price tag) and the A45 AMG is a beast of a thing with the most powerful turbocharged 2.0-litre turbo money can buy. Again, it’s silly money too. While these cars feature a decent turbocharged powerplant and clever all-wheel drive systems, a lot of the way they react and perform has to do with the drivers and how good they are behind the wheel, luckily CarWow has a great team that has loads of experience doing these drag race tests. On that note, these tests only reflect the car’s performance in a straight line, so even if these results show one result, there’s still a lot more to these cars.
In this match-up, the four cars are quite similar. The Mercedes-AMG entrant is the 2nd on the rung A35 AMG and it features a turbocharged 2.0-litre powerplant, just like all the other cars in this battle, but it does make some decent power. There’s a healthy 225 kW of power and 400 Nm of torque available Just as an FYI, the A45 generates 310 kW and 500 Nm. The lightning-fast 8-speed dual-clutch transmission sends power to all four wheels and it tips the scales at 1,495 kg - the lightest in this field. The BMW M135i generates a little less power at 220 kW but is a match in the torque stakes with 400 Nm available. It features a 7-speed dual-clutch transmission and power goes to all four corners. It’s a little heavier at 1,550 kg. The Audi S3 is rated at a more powerful 245 kW and torque is higher too at 420 Nm, and that power is sent to all the wheels via a 7-speed dual-clutch setup. This one is a little heavier still, topping the scales at 1,535 kg. And then there’s the car in the lineup that has our vote - the Golf R. What’s mad is that the specs are pretty damn close to the Audi S3 because it’s basically the same thing wearing better clothes. One thing that’s a surprise is that the Golf R is heavier than the Audi, we would have thought all the extra Audi elite feelings would have added up to more. The Golf 8R is no slouch, the iconic hatchback with a 50-year history is able to get up to 100 km/h in just 4.8 seconds and has a top speed limited to 250 km/h. It can run a 12.7-second quarter mile too in OEM form. We like.
Take a look at the YouTube video where Mat Watson and the Carwow crew pit some modern hot hatches against each other. Sure the RS3 and the A45 AMG would have been a cool addition, but they cost a fair bit more than the relatively similarly priced cars in this specific match-up. As always, we put money on the VW: New VW Golf R v BMW M135 v Audi S3 v AMG A35: DRAG RACE | carwow
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